Frame for letter blocks



July 24, 1951 J. MURPHY 2,561,813

FRAME FOR LETTER BLOCKS Filed Sept. 25, 1948 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 IN VENTOR.

y' 1951 J. F. MURPHY 2,561,313

I FRAME FOR LETTER BLOCKS Filed Sept. 25, 1948 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 H l ,4 316 A4 20 l I 22 A 59 I? \\\\\*V/////%/5\\\ i g 4' a;

INVENTOR.

ffiaywy, had 7%..

Patented July 24, 1951 .lSTATTES '0 F F ICE FRAME'FOR LETTERTBL'OCKS lrlain, Mass.

Application "September 23, 1948, 'Serial"N0. "50,8'28

pin holes or other *blemishes Where the'ink has failed toproduce a'solidblack impression. Fur- 'ther, the'work requires the servicesof anexperi- "enced'type setter since such 'bodytype appears in the reverseof its impression.

The outfit of the present invention overcomes these disadvantages,increases the printers resources, reduces thecost of b'odytype'work andproduces "a superior proof by a photographic process. By the procedureof my invention a great amount "of spaceissaved'which under the acidlsys'tem :required :for storing foundry type.

It also eliminates inking andfurniture heretofore required..Itcontemplates-the use of blocks having transparent type therein andthese take up solittle space that it is possible for the small :printerto compete with larger operators.

Goingmoreinto detail, mynovel outfit includes "a frame having side andend members together "with a series of "guide bars, the end members and"the guide bars-beingshaped fordetachable'inter- "io'cki-ngat both endsor sides'of the frame. Pref- "erably and *asherein shown, the guide bars'present projecting shoulders and the type blocks are supported on saidshoulders in flush relation. The type blocks may be transparent andcarry an opaque negative in which a transparent letter is outlined or,if preferred, the letters may be opaque in a transparent block. Theblocks may be readily and accurately placed in the desired relation and,as assembled, they are viewed directly as their impression is to be seenand not in reverse as in the case of ordinary type. The individualblocks are so located and fitted together that they form with the framea lighttight mat about the transparent outline of the letters. Havingonce assembled the individual type blocks, the frame and letters may beplaced in a photographers enlarger and the line of type photographeddirectly onto a sensitized surface. In this manner a proof may be formedwith the letters enlarged or reduced to any desired size.

A feature of thepre'sentinvention consistsin aserie's ofshou'lderedguide bars having aprojecting rib or flangeat each end in combinationw'itha frame having end or side membersdivided "by uniform notchesintowhich the'projecting' rib :of the guide barsmay be detachably fitted inposition to receive type blocks ofgpredetermined dimensions and toproperly locate the line to be printed.

Another feature of the invention consists in aseries of typeIbloc'ksfhaving shoulders arranged to interlock and thus form acontinuous screen Within the confines-.01 the. frame.

Theseand other features of the invention will be best understood andappreciatedfromthefollowing description .of a :-preferred embodimentthereof, selected for. purposes of willustrationcand shown in theaccompanying.drawings'in which:

Fig. lisia plan view of the outfit in partially assembled position,

Fig. 2 is -a view in longitudinal section on the .-1ine--2-2- ofwFig..1,

"Fig. 3 tisia :cross sect-ional'viewpn the "line 3-4 of Fig.1,

Fig. 4 is a view in longitudinal section on the 1ine 44of Fig.1;and

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary viewin perspective showing "parts of thezframeand :type 'blocks .in

exploded relation.

InFigs. :1 and :2 ztheslide or :frame l0 of a commercial enlargingcamera is outlined in dotand-dash lines. The assembly deviceof myinventi'on'imay be used in association with such :a frame, or it --maybe made to fit into'any photogr-aphic contactpriri'ter. The advantage ofusing it in an enlarger is that the size of the type letters may beconveniently enlarged or reduced in the process if desired, whereas incontact printing the impression reproduces the actual size of the type.

The frame It! is provided with a rectangular shouldered recess of theproper size and shape to support and enclose a smaller frame comprisingside members l2 and I3 and notched end members l4 and H5. The side andend members of the frame are shaped to interlock at the corners and areheld together by screws, as suggested in Fig. 5. The frame I0 is alsoprovided with clips or latches II which may be swung over the endmembers of the smaller frame and hold the latter securely in position.The end member I4 is formed with a continuous ledge or shoulder l6underlying a series of spaced rectangular projections providingsquare-sided notches and prothe frame.

continuous shoulders on both sides underlying an upstanding median rib19. The rib [9 extends beyond both ends of the shoulders of the bar inwhich it is formed and is shaped to fit snugly within the notches I! ofthe end members l4 and i and to lie flush with the upper surface of thenotched portions of the bars. The underlying shoulders of the bars arelocated in the same plane as the underlying shoulders of the end membersand the side members of the frame.

Type blocks 20 of preferred form are best shown in Fig. 5. The blocksare rectangular, shouldered on one side and undercut on the other so.asto make flush interlocking engagement. In thickness the blockscorrespond to the height of the rib IQ of the guide bars and of theportions of theend and side members located above their vunderlyingshoulders. Accordingly, regardless of the position of, any type blocks,their upper surface will form a common plane with the walls of As hereinshown the upper and one side face of each block is covered with anopaque negative, indicated in Fig. 5 by stippling, in which is formed atransparent letter. In dimensions the type blocks are formed to bepositioned by guide bars located in the frame with one or more notchesbetween them; for example, the type blocks 20 shown in Fig. 1 arelocated at their ends by guide bars 18 having three notches betweenthem, and the smaller type blocks 2| are located between guide barshaving a single notch between them.

It is important that the type blocks be assembled to form a completeopaque screen through "which light may pass only in the transparentoutline of the type letters. Accordingly, the type blocks areindividually shouldered and grooved as shown in Fig. 5 to makeinterlocking engage- "ment at their longitudinal edges as shown in Fig.'4. The presentation of a continuous dark screen is thus insured.

As suggested in Fig. 1, the type blocks may be supported between twoadjacent guide bars H3 or between a guide bar and one of the sidememberslZ or 13 of the frame.

It will be seen also that the side edges of any type block are supportedby the underlying shoulders of the end '4 5 members 14 and 15 as shownin Fig. 4, this providing a tight and compact assembly.

As suggested in Fig. 3 the type blocks are of laminated constructionwith the negative 22 in which the letter is formed interleaved betweenthem and thus protected on both sides against scratching or contact withoil. The life of the type blocks is therefore prolonged and the shapeoutline of the letter safeguarded.

The shoulders of the type blocks are so proportioned that the blockslock together and give the proper spacing between adjacent letters. Theseparation indicated in Fig. 5 is somewhat exaggerated for illustrativepurposes. The blocks in all cases are stiff self-contained units whetherthey are of laminated form as shown in Fig. 3

or of integral configuration as shown in Figs. 4 and 5.

Having thus disclosed my invention and described in detail anillustrative embodiment thereof, I claim as new and desire to secure byLetters Patent:

A device for supporting letter blocks .compris ing an open frame havingend members, each of said end members having an inwardly projectingshoulder and a plurality of projections extending upwardly of saidshoulder, said projections forming grooves therebetween, a series ofguide bars having side and end portions, shoulders on each side portion,a tongue protruding from the ends of each guide bar and extending intoone of said grooves in flush relation therewith, and a row of indiciablocks supported in flush relation on the shoulders of two adjacentguide bars, said blocks having interlock portions whereby they are ininterlocking engagement with one another, the interlock portion of eachend block of each row overlapping and resting on the shoulder of one ofsaid end members whereby light is excluded between the blocks and alsobetween the blocks and frame.

JOSEPH F. MURPHY.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Morrison Apr. .21, 1942

